All entries for February 2008

February 29, 2008

Since the beginning of the final year, this question has been always around my friends and I. “Why are you going to do PG?”This kind of question will especially comes from our tutors, as the UK tradition is that people should go and find jobs after graduation; then several years later, when they have found what they are exactly interested in, they may choose to come back to Uni to learn something they really like.

Unfortunately, I am an International student who is “sufferring” the pressure to use parents’ wages to live and study here. Of course, I could try to find a job after graduation, I may find somewhere would like to hire me, as my performance in uni is not bad, I could keep to get 2-1, or try my best to achieve 1 for the final year. But I am not sure what kind of job I could really find, because I have learnt from some previous students’ experiences, who are being working class after graduating from such a good university in UK.

Although I have to admit their spoken English or communication skills are not good enough, but they did spend a lot of money on learning in Britain; they did spend time and efforts on writing essays. And now, they could stay here for one of two years to get working experience, according to a new law came out last year, but they have to tell their parents and friends at home who have extremely high expectation for them that they are living very well and earning money in such a “paradise”.

Maybe the examples above are not too bad, as they do not have to continue studying if they find it hard. As for some of my classmates, who are struggling about whether they should continue PG or not, life is rather tough. For me, I have to say, I am really really lucky, as I know what I exactly want to do for life. I have a clear mind of my interest; I do not need to hesitate to wait, as I know I do enjoying learning language; also luckily, I do not need to worry about my level for UG, which has built up my confidence as well. However, as for those who have both pressure from parents and problems with inferior levels, they are still struggling.

Several of my friends have asked me what I think would happen if they told their parents they did not want to do a PG degree. The only answer I could tell is I don’t know. But actually, I do know; I know exactly. Our parents, our friends, our reletives, and those who know we are learning abroad, will all disapprove with such a decision. They will say they are disappointed with us; they may say that is a great shame; they may also question what is the point that we spend so much money on UG…People are talking as they know what the life is like in UK; people are talking as they are those who are writing thousand-word essays.

The other day, I chatted with one of my best friends that our situation could be only understood by ourselves. That is, British people do not know what the situation we have to fact when we go back to China; while people in China will never know First is not easy to get in UK. Even finally I do quite well for study here, when I go back home to find jobs, problems will also come to me. For example, I may not get a job because I lack working experience even though my degree is good. Or small companies may not want to hire me, because they think my ability is too good for their company, in terms of salary and benefits issues. Then finally I may find somewhere to stay, I may feel burdened because of people’s extremely high expectation.

February 27, 2008

What were you doing when the earthquake came last night? It was about 1am something, I was standing on the floor, because I was going to take a shower. Suddenly the whole building shaked for about 10 seconds, it was not like someone jumping upstairs. Then some of my flatmates came to the corridor asked each other what had happened. We all felt that was wired, also a bit exciting.

But later I got to know all my friends, living in Westwood, Whitefield, Tocil, etc. all experienced such a shaking. Later, when I casually talked about this with one of my friends, he was a bit unhappy, as he said that it was real earthquake, but I just took it so casually.

And the only thing I did when it came was standing there, with a bit of excitement.

February 26, 2008

Seems it has been ages since last time I wrote a blog, anyway, today I just watched the play of “James Son of James”. Although laughing throughout the whole play, but what made me think about the most was that it did reflect real life.

I quite agree with the saying of “James son of James is about how an outsider infiltrates and stirs the settled hypocrisy in a small community.” of the Irish Theatre Magazine. As I have just found that the close relationship apprently between people is so easily to be broken.

There is a popular saying among young people in China that “they will not be forgived by God, if people do not do things for their own benefits”. Young people always tend to use such kind of saying as a joke when they gain benefit for themselves. However, when the uni students do join in the society, when they get involved in all kinds of social activities, what I have seen in the play may finally happen.

Everyone in the play tends to do someting really really selfish, even what they do will do harm on others. If the young man tries to make James into troubles with the robbery is forgivable, because of his lack of mutural thinking, what his mother has done could never be understood. Even so, the police, Mr Nauthy, is also so rediculous that he’d rather believes in what others say, but he does not want to think calmly and believe his own wife. That makes me wanna cry, if the closest person we cannot believe, who else we could depend on?
Life is tough, I always know. But James makes me think about how weak the harmony relationship between people living in reality, whenever the relationship has to be compared with the benefit of him or herself.

This reminds me about one Chinese series I have ever seen which is about how people deals with the love in front of reality, which are money, fame, responsibility, etc. The main actress is betrayed her lover, who is the only one she could depend on after her mother’s leave and her father’s death. Her best friend finally decides to stay with the man she loves enen if they suffer the lack of money; however, she finally could only see her lover’s death in a car accident just about a handred metres away from her. Life is playing tricks with everyone, I think the main actress seems to be the happiest one, while at the end she chooses to be a teacher in a poor countryside primary school, but she enjoys her life.

The other day, I questions that why I have gradually lost some real friends, at least I think they were. I could always do self-reflection, I could always think about what I have done wrongly; but later I would also question whether I have done something really serious to break our friendship? I can’t find anything I did or they did wrong, but just reality.